Betsy Ruth Byers paints to discover and imagine our intimate relationship with the environment in an abstract form. She employs painting to raise questions about how we inhabit the world. In her own words, “I am compelled to make work that focuses on wilderness experiences due to my growing fear over our disconnectedness to the natural world. The formative years of my youth were spent on and in the lakes of Northern Minnesota. The influence of water, swimming and the boundary between water and sky are evident in my work.”  Betsy’s most current work focuses on our memories of landscapes that are changing and disappearing due to global warming. Betsy has chosen icebergs, glaciers, and Polynesian islands, as her specific subject matter since these types of landscapes are particularly sensitive indicators of climate change.

Betsy chose to study art “because art classes challenged me more than anything else.”  After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in studio art from St. Olaf College, she was awarded a Master of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She shares her love and enthusiasm for making art with students as an Associate Professor at Gustavus Adolphus College. Her work has been exhibited at numerous venues both nationally and internationally, such as. SCOPE New York 2017, the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul, DeVos Art Museum at Northern Michigan University, Hillstrom Museum of Art at Gustavus Adolphus College, Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis, Guilford Art Center in Guilford, Connecticut; The Soap Factory in Minneapolis, The Institute Gallery in Sogndal, Norway; and the National Galleries of Scotland. Her work resides in several private, corporate and museum collections including the Weisman Art Museum, Hillstrom Museum of Art, Target Corporation, Nordstrom Corporation, BMO Harris Bank, LPM Corporation, and Allina Health Center. Betsy has been represented by Kolman & Reeb Gallery since 2012.